As forests fulfill 80% of the energy needs and 35% of the feed needed for domestic animals in Nepal, Government of Nepal is well aware to supply the forest produce and prevent deterioration of the forests. So, National Forestry Plan, 1976 had provisions for afforestation works. This was followed by the Master Plan for Forestry Sector, 1988 went into questions of future supply and demand of forest products in considerable detail. This position was changed in 1978 when rules were promulgated whereby Panchayats could be allocated up to 2500 ropani of bare or sparsely forested government land for plantation in the hills whereas in the Terai, 200 bigha of such degraded forests for plantation to meet the demands of forest products.

The decentralization Act of 1982 and the Decentralization By-laws of 1984 provided forestry as one of the components of the district development plan for each district. After the promulgation of Forest Act, 1992 and Forest By-laws, 1994 gave all the responsibility of managing the nearby forests to the local traditional users so that all the degraded barren lands may be planted with the active participation of local forest dependents.

After democracy in 1990, considerable area of plantations have been established by agencies such Nepal-Australian Forestry Project, Nepal Swiss Community Forestry Project and Numerous other bodies. By 1985, about 5000 ha were being planted annually. Not all the plantations were successful, and in some areas, there was a lack of people’s participation apart from paying villagers to raise, plant and protect the trees.

Currently, community plantations have become the major plantation in Nepal financially and technically supported by District Forest Offices. Central level/Departmental plantation has almost removed from the programmes except exception. Partly, emphasis has been given on encouraging of tree planting by individual farmers. Farmers have been planting trees on their own land for many years, often using wild seedlings from the natural forest in the hills and from nurseries in the Terai. However, in recent years, this activity has increased considerably, in response to declining supply of forest products from common land/forests.